My Week at the IALMH Congress

I want to share with you the wonderful experience I had attending the 2017 Congress of International Academy of Law and Mental Health (IALMH) in Prague. From July 9-14 I was among over 1500 people from over 100 countries who gathered at this event. Being at the congress was a fantastic experience. I truly learned a lot and got to spend time with some great people. One of the co-founders of Harvard’s Psychiatry and the Law program, asked me if I would like to speak on a panel with him and Dr. Ivana Viani. I was invited to become a member last fall as I have been wishing to learn about expert witness work in my goal of updating the legal system’s understanding of social influence and especially undue influence. I feel so fortunate to be part of this think tank of scholars who wish to research, publish and give professional testimony to advance the field. My mentor, Dr. Thomas Gutheil presented, as well as other members of the Program, including Dr. Eric Drogin, Dr. Barry Roth, Dr. James Tyler Carpenter and Dr. Michael Lamport Commons. Most people I met were psychiatrists, some were psychologists, other attorneys, some philosophers and a variety of professors.